Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often encounter an intrusive feature that automatically stresses letters when typing, a phenomenon common in Russian layouts and often turned on by default after updating the system or installing a new typing app. While it can be useful for language learners, this visual cue can be confusing and annoying for experienced users.
The problem is solved quickly enough, but the path to the desired setup may vary depending on the version of the MIUI shell or HyperOS. In some cases, the option is hidden deep in the menu, and in others it is available directly from the hintbar. Automatic character placement may work incorrectly, offering stress where they should not be, or vice versa, skipping complex words.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can disable this feature for the standard Gboard keyboard and Xiaomi’s system solution. You’ll learn how to change your predictive input settings to make the text look clean and professional. Below are step-by-step instructions to help you regain your comfort when communicating.
Why do stress signs appear when entering text
The main reason for the appearance of additional characters above the letters is the activated function “Show stress” in the language settings. Gboard algorithms and Xiaomi system keyboard use dictionaries to analyze the entered words and offer the most likely spelling. In Russian, where stress often changes the meaning of the word or is mandatory for correct pronunciation, the system tries to help the user.
But in everyday messaging or social media, these signs look redundant, they can take up space on the screen and distract from the message, often activated randomly when the device is first started, or after resetting to factory settings, when the system suggests selecting language preferences.
It's worth noting that predictive input works regardless of whether signs are present, so turning off stresses won't affect the speed of printing or word prompting. You'll continue to receive suggestions for completing phrases, but the text will look familiar and neat. Understanding the logic of how the dictionary works helps you find the right switches on the menu faster.
Disabling stress on the standard Gboard keyboard
Most modern Xiaomi smartphones have Google’s Gboard keyboard installed by default, the most common scenario requiring a change in settings in this app, and the process of disabling accent marks is as simple as possible and takes only a few seconds.
To start, open any application that requires text input, such as a message or note to call the keyboard. In the top toolbar, find the gear icon that indicates the input to the settings. If there is no icon, press and hold the comma or the globe key, then select Settings.
- 🔹 Go to the “Languages” section in the keyboard settings menu.
- 🔹 Choose Russian from the list of active layouts.
- 🔹 Find the "Show stress" switch and put it in an inactive position.
After doing this, the characters will disappear instantly. If you use multiple languages, make sure that the settings are changed for Russian, as the settings for other layouts may differ. In some versions of Gboard, the option may be called "Stress" without specifying the action.
What to do if the switch is grey?
Setup of the system keyboard Xiaomi (Sogou or Mi Input)
Older generation devices or versions for the Chinese market can use Xiaomi's system keyboard, often based on the Sogou engine. The interface here is different from the standard Gboard, and the settings are hidden elsewhere. Users are often confused without finding the familiar Google menus.
To get into the settings, call the keyboard and find the gear icon or MI logo on the toolbar. From the menu that opens, select "Input settings" or "Language and input", then find the section that is responsible for the appearance or specific language.
Settings → Additional settings → Language and input → Keyboard managementInside the keyboard control menu, select the active layout. You'll need to find the text visualization option, often under Advanced Settings or Preferences. Search for "Show accents" or similar, and turn it off.
If the standard path doesn’t work, you may have a third-party keyboard theme installed that blocks access to system settings, in which case it’s recommended to temporarily switch to a standard theme or remove a third-party keyboard application through the application menu.
Changes in Predictive Input and Autocorrection Parameters
Stress function is closely related to predictive typing, and sometimes users want to not just remove signs, but also change the behavior of the prompts, and language settings can control not only accents, but other aspects that affect text input.
In the language settings menu where you turned off accents, look for nearby options, such as Auto Replace or Error Correction if they interfere with specific terms, but for normal printing, these features are best left on.
| Parameter | Description of function | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Show stress | Adds a sign above the letter "e" and in complex words | Turn it off. |
| Autocorrection | Corrects typos on the fly | Turn on |
| Word hints | Shows the word variants over the keyboard | Turn on |
| Auto-capital | Makes the first letter of the sentence capital | Turn on |
Customizing these parameters correctly creates the perfect environment for printing, for example, turning off only stress while maintaining autocorrection gives you clean text without losing convenience. Experiment with combinations to find your perfect balance.
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Use voice input for long messages. It often ignores the visual stress settings and prints text in a standard format, saving time.
Reset keyboard settings to factory
If the change in settings fails or the menu looks incorrect, the app may have crashed, in which case a complete reset of the keyboard settings helps, which will return all settings to the post-purchase state, including disabling the default stresses.
To perform the reset, go to your smartphone settings, then to the Apps section. Find the listing for “Gboard” or “Xiaomi Keyboard.” Go to “Memory” or “Storage” and click on “Clear Data” or “Reset Settings.”
⚠️ Attention: Clearing the data will remove the saved user dictionary that the keyboard created during the learning process.You will have to get used to the hints again, but the stress problem is guaranteed to disappear.
After resetting, the system will ask you to reconfigure the keyboard when you first start, and be careful when you select the language: when the system offers additional options for Russian, immediately uncheck the box from the "Stress" item, which will prevent the problem from recurring.
☑️ Checklist before resetting the keyboard
Solving problems with MIUI updates and versions
Users often notice stresses after updating the MIUI or HyperOS operating system. Developers can change the settings in new firmware versions, returning features that were previously disabled to the enabled function.
If you have returned the signs after you upgraded your system software, check your settings again, and check the GetApps or Google Play app store to check for updates to the keyboard itself, and often the display bugs are fixed in the application patches.
In rare cases, the problem may be related to a specific firmware version. If nothing helps, you can try clearing the cache of the Settings or Google Play Services app, which sometimes resolves conflicts between system components.
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After any major system update, the usual settings may get lost - this is standard practice, requiring manual verification of parameters.
Using third-party keyboards as an alternative
If the built-in tools of Xiaomi and Gboard are not suitable or work unstable, you can always install an alternative solution. The app store offers many options where the management of signs is implemented more flexibly.
- 🔹 Yandex Keyboard – perfectly adapted for Russian language, has simple display settings.
- 🔹 SwiftKey is a powerful prediction system where stresses can be adjusted in detail.
- 🔹 Typewise - non-standard layout, completely devoid of unnecessary default characters.
Installing a third-party keyboard requires permissions to access data entry, a necessary step for any application of this type to work, and once installed and activated in the Language and Input menu, the new keyboard will become the main one, and the stress problem will be solved at the level of the new application.
The choice of alternative solution also gives access to additional themes, gestures and translation functions. For many users, switching to SwiftKey or Yandex is the final solution to the issue of inconvenient text input on Xiaomi.